


Pen Pals

by wickedalwayswins



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Multi, enjoy :D, oh and this is a modern au, this is a multi chapter fic, this is mainly captain swan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28955208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedalwayswins/pseuds/wickedalwayswins
Summary: A school in America and a school in England set up a pen pal scheme via email. Both Killian Jones and Emma Swan think it’s a rubbish idea, until they get partnered with each other.
Relationships: Aurora/Phillip (Once Upon a Time), Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Dorothy Gale/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood, Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena/Pinocchio | August Booth
Kudos: 25





	1. Emma

Emma’s first day had been almost unbearable. She’d returned to school for her tenth grade, and she’d already been set two worksheets and an essay for homework. Her final subject wasn’t really a lesson, but one of those almost free periods where the teacher came up with a last minute project for you to do with your friends.

“Sit down at a computer!” Miss Moor (their teacher) called. Emma sat next to Ruby and Belle, August on Belle’s other side.

“Now, we’re starting a very special project today,” This was followed by groans. “Another school has very kindly agreed to begin a pen pal scheme via email.”

This shut the class up. A ‘pen pal scheme’? It was unheard of.

Miss Moor seemed pleased with the silence, continuing with a satisfied look on her face. “This is very secure, and we can guarantee  
that you are not emailing a stranger but another student of your age. You are banned from asking personal questions. This project will last for the entire school year, and there will be an exchange trip once it is finished. I am going to come around and randomly give you all a pupil name and email.”

Emma unfolded her slit of paper the second she was given it.

 **Pupil 7– Killian Jones— joneski@sis.co.uk**

She peered over Ruby’s shoulder.

**Pupil 29– Graham Humbert—humbertgr@sis.co.uk**

Ruby shrugged, signalising that she didn’t care who she got either way. 

Miss Moor asked them to open mail and ‘start the conversation’. 

Emma was half tempted to play a game instead, but with a sigh she opened her school email account and created a draft. 

Somehow she found it easier telling a stranger who couldn’t judge her something about herself than people in real life, and after ten minutes of deliberating she began to type, the words coming to her with ease.

She pressed send, but not before Miss Moor rushed over and saw how much she’d written.

“Lovely, Emma! A lengthy email is the best way to get to know your pen pal!”

She blushed, looking anywhere but at her teacher. Across the room Regina snorted with laughter.

Ruby had written the bare minimum, but Emma saw Belle had written practically an essay, and she calmed down a little.

“Class dismissed!” Miss Moor opened the door five minutes later. “I’ll see you all tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?” Emma asked August as they left the classroom. “We have that class again?”

“Let’s check,” He unzipped his bag and pulled out his timetable. “Computer room 3, Miss Moor, every day from two until three.”

“Every day?” Emma cried, causing people to look in their direction. “I have to write to a random creep daily?!”

“Hey, I don’t even know what gender my pen pal is. They’re called ‘Zelena’. And it’s not exactly like you can ask.”

  
They had started walking home now, continuing their conversation beside the busy Boston roads.

“I’ll google it,” Emma pulled out her iPhone. “Zelena, right? It’s a girl’s name that originated from Greek meaning goddess of the moon.”

“Well, I guess I’ll find out what she’s like tomorrow,” August said gloomily.

“What do you mean?”

“Trust you to not have been listening,” He elbowed her, which she returned, a lot more forcefully. “Ouch! They’re writing daily too, every morning. So tomorrow when they get our emails and respond, we’ll find out what they’re like.”

“Huh,” She frowned. “I guess.”

“What did you write in your ‘lengthy email’ then?”

“Shut up!” Emma scowled, but she started laughing too. “This conversation will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I bid you adeui.” She waved dramatically, walking up the steps to her flat block, pressing one of the buzzers and going inside. 

Emma didn’t trust the lift (she’d had experiences of being stuck in it for hours on end) so she climbed the stairs, kicking the first step (as if to curse them, thought mainly it just hurt her toes) on every level until she reached the topmost floor: where she lived.

“Hey honey!” Mary Margaret, her mother, was at the counter, trying to get Neal (Emma’s two year old younger brother) to eat his yogurt. “How was school?”

“Em!” Neal cooed, reaching his arms upwards to be picked up.

“No, Neal,” Their mother scolded, “You have to eat first.”

“Sorry, kid,” Emma ruffled her younger brother’s hair before turning back to Mary Margaret. “School was fine, Mom.”

“I got an message from the school that told me you’re starting a pen pal program using email,” She looked at her daughter’s face to see her expression.

“I bet you’re the only parent who checks,” Emma muttered, walking towards her room to get away from the conversation about her day. 

“You’re avoiding the question,” Mary Margaret frowned. 

“School’s okay,” She gave a half shrug. “We can talk later. Neal needs to eat.”

“Emma!” Her mother put her hands on her hips. “I’m trying to talk to you and understand!”

“Mom, there is nothing to ‘understand’. It’s just school. Yeah, we got assigned pen pals and had to email them, but I doubt we’ll even get responses.”

“Who did you get?” She smiled at her, taking the opportunity to start a conversation.

Emma paused, her hand on her doorknob. “Uh, just some guy. Called Killian or something.”

“A boy!” Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Emma opened her door. “Mom, I’m going to shower and do some homework, so…”

“Oh! Right, of course, I’ll let you go ahead and do that,” She planted a kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

Emma nodded. “Love you too Mom.”


	2. Killian

“Welcome to your first class in year eleven,” Mr Steed droned. “I’ll be seeing you daily. Please sit in the seating plan on the board.”

Killian sighed, sitting at the computer that was opposite the teacher’s desk. He couldn’t help but notice that his best mate, Rum Gold, was on the other side of the room. Literally all of the teaching staff hated them, so that was probably on purpose.

“We’ll be starting a pen pal project with a school in Boston, America through email. They have been given the school email addresses of all of you in this class, and so you’ll have an email in your inbox. Rules are at the front, laminated, so if you have any questions please read them first before asking me.”

Oh, great. A pen pal, Killian thought. That was exactly what he needed: a random creep on the internet to get to know.

He logged into his account (the teacher hovered over his shoulder to check he logged in and wasn’t playing playing a game or anything).

He had several overdue homework emails, but at the top was an email from an **eswan@bl.com**

He clicked on it, and began to read. 

_Hi, Killian Jones, whoever you are. I’m Emma, and I bet when you open this you’re as forced into it as I am. Okay, to be completely honest, I could be playing an online game instead, but what the hell? You’re a stranger and this might not even reach a real person. What I’m trying to say_ is _I’m giving this a shot._

_So, I’ll tell you three things about me if when you get this you tell me three things about you. Got it?_

_1)I don’t like fantasy. It’s great and everything, with magic and zappy stuff, but it’s just not real._

_2) I love hot chocolate (especially with cinnamon). Most of your average American girls love coffee, but I’m your melted chocolate with squirty cream kinda girl._

_3)When I’m sixteen and I can get a driver’s license I want to drive a yellow Volkswagen Bug. Don’t ask_ _why— I just saw one in a movie and I swear we’re a match made in heaven._

 _So, random person on the internet, the ball’s in your court now. (I don’t know, my Dad says it all of the time.)_ _I’ve embarrassed myself by pouring an essay into your inbox, and now it’s your turn to return the favour._

_—Swan_

He grinned at her sarcasm, pressing the reply arrow and beginning to write back. 

_Hi, Emma_ he wrote, before deleting it. Too online creep.

 _Hello, Emma Swan, whoever you are_ he tried again, but he realised copying her might not be the best idea as she might think he was mocking her. 

Finally, he settled on an opening after seeing how she signed off her email.

The bell rang for next class seconds after he finished.

“She wrote me page after page of questions and things she liked and general knowledge about Boston,” Rum told Killian at lunch as they joined the queue for hot dinner, “And she practically told me that she wanted a just as lengthy a response.”

“Well, someone’s going to be crushed when they open their inbox in eleven hours and there’s a singular line of writing,” Killian eyed the menu with distaste. 

“Mmm.”

“What d’you reckon’s gonna be better? Meat lasagne or veggie?”

“That depends,” Rum ignored the grim faced lunch lady. “Which would you prefer? The gloop or the gloop?”

“What would you like?” The woman serving said emotionlessly— as if she was a robot. 

Killian smiled sweetly at her. “I’ll take the gloop, please.”

They both cracked up, and the assistant head (who was on lunch patrol) quickly marched over.

“Jones! Gold! What is going on here?” 

“We’re ordering lunch, Miss, is that illegal now?” Rum gave her a steely-eyed glare.

“Hmm,” She narrowed her eyes. “Hurry up, you’re forming a queue.”

The woman at the counter began again. “What would you like?”

Killian couldn’t resist. “I already asked for the gloop.”

And that was how he ended up in the deputy head’s office at lunchtime. 

“Disrespectful!” She hissed. “If it was any other student… but no. We have given you every opportunity to fit in here. I understand that things are tough for you: you only have one hand and you’re still dealing with the trauma of your brother’s death—”

Killian stood up. “You have no right to talk to me about Liam!”

She leant close to him so they were almost nose to nose. “You are on very thin ice, Jones.”

He laughed humourlessly. “You think I’d have learnt by know, wouldn’t you?”

Killian walked out of the door leaving the deputy head seething. 

Rum had gotten him a bowl of gloop. 

“That’s the best they’ve got,” He said, pushing it towards Killian as he sat down.

“Yeah, I figured.” He stirred it around with his spoon, the result worse than it was to start with. 

“So, what did she give you? Detention? A lecture?” 

“A warning.”

Rum raised an eyebrow. “A warning?”

“She told me I’m on very thin ice. This time, she means it,” Killian sighed, pushing the food away. “I say we tread carefully from here on. She’s deputy, and she’s got it out for us.”

“I thought it was who we were.”

“Oh, you misinterpreted me. I said we would tread carefully, not that we would stop.”


	3. Emma

“Are you excited for the responses?” Belle asked Emma at lunchtime. They were carrying their trays over to their table.

“The emails? Not really,” She shrugged, but the truth was she was actually kind of nervous.

“Did you get me anything?” Ruby eyed Emma’s food. 

“Yep, here’s your change,” She placed the coins on the table with a clink.

“I love you Em!” She hugged her. “And I love chips, yum!” 

Emma grinned, sliding onto the bench next to her (Belle sat on the other side next to August). 

“Well hello,” August greeted them.

“Do you have to be so weird?” Ruby dipped one of her chips in ketchup and stuffed it in her mouth. 

Belle stopped August from retaliating. “Can we not have this debate? Just, for once?”

“Looks like she’s stopping it for you,” August pointed to where Emma’s number one enemy, Regina, was coming over to their table with a smug smile on her face.

“Not her,” Emma groaned, putting her head in her hands.

“Swan,” Regina stopped at the end of their table, her arms folded. 

“Whatever you want, I’m not going to give it to you,” She said in a tired voice.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Well, I’m not here on a personal gain, sadly,” Regina raised her eyebrows as she looked around at Emma’s friends as if to say ‘freaks’.

“Get to the point,” Emma stood up. “The longer you stand here the longer I have to put up with you, and my patience is running thin.”

“Lily wants to talk to you. She’s back in town for a while.”

“No,” She said immediately. 

Lily was Emma’s best friend in middle school along with Regina. Then Lily went behind her back and stole a test paper, framing Emma for it when the teachers found out it was stolen. When Emma forgave her, Lily spat in her face and told her that she’d been nothing more than a fake friend who she was going to use later on. Emma asked Regina to help her but she turned her back on her too, siding with Lily and telling Emma she was nothing more than a liar and a cheat. She crumbled and had no-one, but half a year later Lily left the school and Ruby took her place. Ruby and Emma got along instantly, and one day near the end of the year Belle was put in their group for Science. She joined their group, and then August just sat with them at lunch and that was that. 

If Lily wanted to come and mess up her life now, there was no way she was going to let her.

“Lily’s old news,” Ruby rolled her eyes, leaning across the table to steal one of August’s barbecue crisps. “And so are you, Regina.”

Regina blushed furiously and gave them all one last glare before retreating. 

“Are we still doing the sleepover today?” Belle asked Emma, trying to fill the silence that the mention of Lily had left.

“What sleepover?” She frowned, also taking a handful of August’s crisps.

“Hey!” He exclaimed.

Ruby kicked him under the table and turned back to Emma. “Your Mom invited us over for a sleepover tonight.” 

Emma groaned. “Of course she did. And she didn’t think to mention it to me.”

August seemed amused by her reaction. “I’m not coming— game’s on and my dad doesn’t want me to miss it.”

“Can’t he just accept that you don’t like baseball?” Ruby laughed.

“He’s probably just trying to spend time with you,” Belle frowned. “Maybe if you gave it a try—”

The bell went and cut her off.

When they arrived in Miss Moor’s class everyone was talking about what they thought their pen pal would say in response.

“Open your inbox!” The teacher called, and they were happy to oblige.

Emma’s heart was pounding. 

Belle next to her worked so fast that she had it open in an instant. 

She slowly logged in, and clicked on her most recent mail.

_To Swan._

_You told me three things about yourself, so I suppose it is my turn. Then you’ll know as much about me as I do you._

_My name is Killian Jones, I’m sure you know. (If you don’t, your school is very bad at arranging things.)_

_I enjoy spending time near the ocean. It’s like you said— most people are all about one thing (the sand or the sun) but I another._

_I don’t see the attraction in social media. I have Instagram for two reasons: so I can try and make sense of all the buttons when my mate and his neighbour (well, just his neighbour really) want me to record them for random people online, and so that very same neighbour doesn’t murder me in my sleep (which believe me, she’s capable of)._

_The final thing you should know is that the bloody teacher hovers behind me every five minutes to check I’m doing the work. I have considered asking him if he would prefer checking what Rum’s doing, but it is becoming amusing that he thinks he is being discreet about it._

_In eleven hours you will read this, and since last time you left me something to write about I should also._

_I ask you of your day— honestly. You may lie to your mother or father and paint the fantasy of a perfect school, but I’m here for you to complain to, and as your pen pal it’s my duty to listen._

_—Jones_

Ruby peered over her shoulder and skim read the first few lines. “He writes almost poetically.”

Emma was saved a response by Belle turning to them with the biggest smile on her face. “He wrote back! He answered all my questions, and asked more of his own!”

August looked at her screen. “Hey, B, isn’t this a bit passive aggressive?”

“I wouldn’t say so, Rum sounds like a perfectly nice guy!”

“Apart from the bit where it says he—”

Belle glared at Emma and she rolled her eyes. “Suit yourself, just trying to help.”

“Answer your own email,” She frowned, turning back to her computer.

Emma grinned and opened a new email. “Yes ma’am.”


	4. Emma

“Was he the man of your dreams?” August teased as he and Emma walked home. The girls weren’t with them— they were going home to get changed and bring their stuff before coming to Emma’s place for the sleepover.

“You sound like my Mom,” She laughed. “He’s just a guy! What about you? Find much out about Zelena?”

“Change of subject,” He noted. “She’s very… violent.”

Emma snorted. 

“I’m telling you,” August grinned.

“Is that really the first adjective that comes to mind?” She tried not to appear amused, and failed.

“In my defence, she spends a lot of her time watching horror movies and pretending to plan murders, and if someone comes across as violent in an email, they’re violent.”

“Sounds like your kinda girl,” Emma winked at him before turning off to her flat block. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

After climbing the stairs and bracing herself for Mary Margaret, she unlocked the door.

“Hey honey!”

“Hey Mom,” She responded half heartedly. “Where’s Neal?”

“Oh, he’s staying with Grandma Ruth so you and your friends can have a good time tonight,” She opened one of the cupboards, pulling out a bag. “I bought popcorn for you!”

“Yeah, about that,” Emma turned to face her mother, suddenly annoyed all over again about the sleepover. “You didn’t tell me you arranged a sleepover! You aren’t supposed to arrange sleepovers with my friends! I don’t need my Mom to make sure I have a social life!”

“Emma, I was just trying to help,” Mary Margaret gave her a sincere look. “You should get changed! I’ll try and get Neal’s stuff out of the living room for your sleepover.”

Sighing, she backed into her room and got out her light grey onesie that had a swan beak and eyes. Last Christmas her and her friends had bought each other onesies (Ruby had a dark grey wolf, Belle a deep brown fanged beast as a joke for how her first crush was the beast from Beauty and the Beast, and they forced August into a black bear onesie) and it was tradition that they wore them at sleepovers now. 

Emma got her pitiful supply of nail varnishes that were mainly light colours like grey and pink and brought them to the living room where her Mom had pushed back the sofa for the sleeping bags. (Her own had been laid out for her.)

Mary Margaret appeared from her bedroom. “Do you want to check to make sure August can’t come? I know he said his father wanted him to watch the baseball game, but it would be a shame if the gang wasn’t all together.”

Emma laughed incredulously. “You are actually excited about this. Sure, I’ll text him, but you know how Mr B is about baseball.”

**A, you free after the game? Mom will go nuts if you don’t show, and I’ll get Ruby to promise to put the varnish away, She pressed send and turned her phone off.**

The buzzer from the entrance to the block went off. 

“Yeah?” Emma spoke into the speaker. 

“It’s Belle. Listen, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to bring a film, so—”

“Wait, I’m coming down!” She slipped her shoes on and practically ran down the spiral of stairs.

Belle waved as she saw her go down the last set of stairs through the window. 

“So, film or no film?” Emma grinned as she and Belle climbed back up the stairs, her neighbours blinking at her running up and down the flat block in her onesie. 

She held up Wreck It Ralph and X-Men Days Of Future Past. Both were classics in the group, one they watched because when they were twelve they used to watch it all the time and the other because August was slowly putting them through the X-Men movies, and Belle’s father was a huge fan so she had all the DVDs in HD. 

Emma high fived her. “Boom! August might make it, depends if he’s seen my text or not.”

They unlocked the door and Belle started laying her sleeping bag out and making sure it didn’t have any creases.

**Matches are three hours E, but it isn’t as late as I thought it would be because it’s just started, you okay for me to come at 7?**

**We’ll save X-Men**

**Good**

“He’s coming at seven ish I think,” She informed Belle.

A knock at the door startled them both, but when they opened it it was Ruby. (They always forgot she climbed over the fence and used the back entrance to avoid the buzzer.)

She gave them both a hug. “Ready to start with the nails?”

“I’m not doing burgundy this time,” Belle warned her. “I think Emma is right to go with the lighter colours.”

“Suit yourself,” Ruby threw her sleeping bag between both of theirs. 

Belle and Ruby got into their onesies and soon they were sitting on the floor with Emma, the three of them picking out colours for their toes.

Belle chose a pale pink out of Emma’s selection, and set up some newspaper for her to rest her feet on.

Ruby went for black, not bothering with a covering and painting the foundation layer right there and then.

Emma didn’t have to choose really, but she looked over them all before coming back to her favourite marble white. 

“You okay girls?” Mary Margaret came out of her room. “I bought you popcorn, and I’ll leave it here for when your nails dry. I’m going to go shopping, do you want me to pick you up any food from the supermarket or are you going to order pizza?”

“Probably takeout,” Ruby nodded. “Thanks though, MM.”

“No problem!” She looked positively radiant as she left.  
  
“Should I put one of the DVDs in before I start?”

“Maybe we should wait until August gets here,” Belle suggested, not looking up from perfecting her first coat of colour. 

“Did I hear my name?” August walked in, grinning. “Your Mom let me in as she was leaving.”

“Finally convince your dad that you hate baseball?” Ruby waved at him with nail varnish and he shielded his face in mock horror.

“No, the game was cancelled,” He grinned. “And the stands have been defaced by baseball haters so there won’t be another one for a week at least.”

“Salute those haters,” Emma budged over so he could but his sleeping bag down and began her nails. “Can you put a DVD in?”

He reached over to take them from Belle. 

“Wreck it Ralph or X-Men?” She offered them to him. 

Emma and Ruby called for Wreck it Ralph. 

“For old times sake,” Ruby pleaded.

August groaned, but he took it and slid it in. “At least it’s not as bad as baseball.”

The girls spent the entire movie doing their nails and making the bold move of doing their hands, getting each other to do their dominant hands. 

Emma chose one of Ruby’s reds because she felt in the mood for it when she was surrounded by her friends and watching an animated movie she’d cherished at twelve.

“There is no room for you on the cake!” August was telling the screen an one point in the film. “Nada! So give up, and be grateful for your pile of bricks.”

She smiled, looking at them all. “Alright guys, who’s up for pizza?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading pen pals, I hope you’re enjoying it so far! Also, thank you to isxbella for supporting me in writing this!  
> ~Im


End file.
